Pirates Hijack Passenger Boat In Nembe-Brass Waterway, Bayelsa State

Suspected pirates attacked a passenger boat along the Nembe-Brass waterway in Bayelsa State on Thursday, marking the second piracy incident on the waterway this week.

Witnesses told our correspondent that they

saw gunmen trailing a passenger boat and began firing their weapons sporadically before hijacking the boat.

The driver of the boat and his crewmen were later dropped off at the creeks as the pirates took the boat to an unknown destination.

The chairman of the Bayelsa State chapter of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Lloyd Sese, confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, saying that pirates’ activities in the state have made life unbearable for those who use the waterways.

Mr. Sese said that the union has appealed to relevant authorities to come to the aid of commuters on the waterways, saying that attacks on boats have become increasingly frequent.

A youth leader from Brass Local Government Area, Robert Desmond, condemned the incessant sea pirate attacks on the Nembe-Brass waterways, describing the acts as senseless. He wondered why Bayelsa youths would terrorize their own community and people.

Mr. Desmond said people in the Brass-Nembe community are in dire need of maritime security and therefore tasked security personnel to be on high alert in order to prevent future attacks.

He called on law enforcement agents to apprehend the pirates and to seize all weapons they may have in their possession in order to bring respite to the Nembe-Brass people.

Bayelsa State Police Command spokesperson Asinim Butswat confirmed the incident and said that the command has intensified efforts to fight criminality and restore security in the area.

On Monday, September 25, suspected pirates attacked a passenger boat along the Nembe-Brass waterway, killing two passengers and injuring five.